Five people were killed when the twin-engine plane they were in crashed during take-off from Long Beach Municipal Airport, according to a news report.
A Federal Aviation Administration spokesman said the twin-engine Beechcraft King Air was headed for Salt Lake City, and was owned by local developer Thomas Fay Dean, the owner of most of the Los Cerritos Wetlands in southeast Long Beach. A Long Beach Fire Department official said that six people were aboard the plane, and the lone survivor was taken to a local hospital with serious injuries.
The victims included a member of the city’s founding family, 44-year-old Long Beach real estate broker Mark Bixby; Long Beach real estate investor Thomas Fay Dean, 50; and his business partner Jeff Berger. The unidentified pilot and a fifth victim were among the dead as well. Long Beach real estate executive Mike Jensen, 51, remains in critical condition at Long Beach Memorial Hospital.
Eyewitnesses reported that the plane burst into fire shortly after take-off. According to fire officials, the plane crash took place on the northwest portion of the airport, closing two of the airport’s five runways. The cause of the crash is currently under investigation by the FAA and the National Transportation Safety Board.
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